Left my office at church. Went to rinse my coffee cup out at a sink I do not normally use. Faucet had barely a dribble. Checked the pipes below to see if they were turned off. Nope. They are on. Okay, maybe the aerator is plugged. Yup. Got a pair of pliers and fixed it. Water! Went to the other bathroom. Same thing. Fixed that one as well.
This brings two questions to mind. Bear in mind that clergy are expected to be fix-it types because churches work on a break down maintenance schedule. We get a lot of time to think about these things.
- How many people noticed this before I did and ignored resolving it?
- What else, in need of attention, do we leave unaddressed?
There is a lot broken in this world. Christ focused on broken people. Whether or not he was handy, I don't know.
We who claim to follow Christ ought to be spending part of each day faithfully tending to broken people and working on systems that break people. By "faithfully," I mean, "where we are called, by God." We are called each to some things and not all things. (Pray for all of them, however.) To fret about all brokenness is Satan's preoccupation for us as much as to care about none of the world's brokenness is.
What if we made sure once each day we
o Attended to the brokenness of one other person beyond family and friends?
o Addressed one cultural system that breaks people?
Small steps work. Feeding an elderly person on a Meals-on-Wheels route, writing a letter of thanks, saying a kind word to a person who serves the public behind a cash register (or even acknowledging their humanity.)
You may be the only gospel a person ever reads. – St. Francis
Preach the gospel. And if necessary, use words. – St. Francis
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. – Jesus, Matthew 25:40
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